The Process at River Birch: Sauna & Cold Plunge in Boone, NC
An 8-person, wood-fired sauna and crispt cold-plunge located in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina, at The Mast Farm Inn in Valle Crucis.
A Quick Intro:
All Sauna/Cold Plunge Experiences are reserved in advance and include a personal Sauna Guide to help you throughout your 60-120 minutes.
Each session also includes two cold-water bucket showers and a cold plunge, which is completely optional, and not required, as well as many other amenities outlined below.
The nearby Watauga River also serves as a wonderful, refreshing, natural cold plunge!
You Are Our Distinguished Guest
As a River Birch Nordic Sauna guest, you get to regulate what the session looks like.
How long you stay in the sauna, if or when you cold plunge or cool off outdoors, and how you integrate the other components is totally up to you.
You’re welcome to the aromatherapy service, Lӧyly (the Finnish word for sauna steam, or “spirit of the sauna”), the Sauna Guide, and rehydrating beverages.
We encourage you to listen to your body! We believe we have created the perfect space to do all of these things.
All Experiences Include:
• Beautiful Mast Farm views including a great spot alongside the Watauga River.
• Trained Sauna Guide to help teach you the wellness benefits, how to, and history of sauna.
• Watauga River as a natural Cold Plunge option
• Organic tea and water for enjoyment and hydration
• Organic Aromatherapy Essential Oils
• Fresh towels
• Outdoor seating with furniture to enjoy the fresh air during the cooling off process
• Private changing area available inside the sauna lobby
• Time to rest, rejuvenate, and enjoy the many benefits of sauna
• Full restrooms inside Mast Farm Inn or Porta-Johns located outside Mast Farm adjacent to the barn
It’s a Private Sauna
This Experience features our 8-person, private sauna wood-fired space. These sessions are either 60 or 120-minutes in length, and once you book the sauna it is reserved exclusively for you and your friends/family.
This sauna building has a small room outside of the “hot room”, for you to change, place any belongings, as well as to cool off between rounds, if you prefer to stay indoors. The outdoor space includes chairs to enjoy the fresh air.
Wood-Fired Heat
This sauna is heated by a wood-fired Huum sauna stove, surrounded by hundreds of pounds of sauna rocks to create a beautiful, yet highly functional thermal environment. Pouring water onto the rocks allows for Lӧyly (the Finnish word for sauna steam, aka “spirit of the sauna”).
A Refreshing Cold Shower or Plunge
Outside on the deck, there are (2) bucket showers connected to a hose. These buckets have a chain attached allowing you the opportunity to dump cold water over your head and body. Once empty the buckets automatically refill. (Occasionally, from late Fall into early Spring, when the air temperature dips below freezing, the buckets may not be available if the hose is frozen.)
Additionally, we offer (2) beautiful handcrafted cold plunge pods built by Redwood Outdoors. The cost for the cold plunge pod is $20 per person. The nearby Watauga River is also a natural cold plunge option! The river temperature in the winter is typically 35-40F. During the summer it gets up to around 70F.
FAQs
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Just a swimsuit! It is also a great idea to bring some sandals or flip flops, especially in the wintertime so your feet don’t freeze! If you plan to cool off in the river its best to have river or other water shoes as the rocks can be very slippery. Some guests choose to bring a robe as well, but that is optional. Fresh towels, a changing room, local tea, and more amenities to make you comfortable are all provided as part of all of our Sauna Experiences.
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Many people only know sauna from their local gym or by the pool in the hotel. This usually consists of hopping into the sauna for a few minutes after a workout.
Yet, not many people know the full practice of sauna that includes hot, cold, rest, rehydrate, and repeat – the thermic cycle. This cycle is wherein we receive many of benefits from sauna/cold plunge, the stress relief, the wellness support, and more.
Sauna is so much more than just sitting in a hot room. Let us teach you how to sauna well, soaking up the heat and the cold for the full experience.
This process in our space is guided as much (or as little) as you like. If you are a sauna veteran who wants very little extra support, we will gladly give you the space to enjoy. If you are new, curious, and want someone to walk you through more of the process, we are happy to help.
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Traditional Nordic Sauna usually ranges from 160-200F. The Cold Plunge temperature ranges from the high 30’s to mid-40s during the winter, and usually stay 64F or lower year-round. Occasionally temperatures reach above 64F, but this still offers a stark contrast from the 160-200 sauna temperature. During the warmer months we add bags of ice in an attempt to keep the temperature at 64F or below
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We provide the highest quality sauna experiences with thoughtful Nordic design, as well as multiple cold water exposure options. Our saunas are built with exquisite beauty at the forefront. We think of heat like many think about good food or fine wine. We think in terms of quality.
Our Cedar and Stone constructed sauna utilizes an aesthetically appealing wood-fired Estonian Huum stove, an encompassed by hundreds of pounds of sauna rocks. These features welcome Lӧyly (the Finnish word for sauna steam, or “spirit of the sauna”).
And until you have had the best quality, you really don’t know what you are missing out on. If you like things that are done well, of the highest quality and with attention to each detail, we know you will enjoy some time here at River Birch Nordic Sauna.
